Mojang has been working tirelessly to bring you the first of many updates to one of the biggest installments in Minecraft history - the very first ever 1.9 snapshot! It's real, it's here, and you can test it right this very second!

So, what does the first snapshot have on offer? Some features - many hidden! - and also, a few words of caution about what to, and not to, expect. Okay, specifically, here is what it does not have!

FEATURES NOT IN:

Any balancing of any kind. Seriously, expect things to be hilariously overpowered or underpowered.

Melee combat changes. Melee combat will change, just not in this snapshot.

Perfect respawn mechanics of the end. You can respawn the dragon right now by drawing a creeper face with clay, but it won’t respawn everything yet. That’s temporary.

Lots of new items/blocks which don’t exist yet. That’s why you’re respawning the dragon like above.

New potions or enchantments. There will be new ones, just not right now!

Subtitles support. It’s still planned for 1.9!

Lots of stuff, really. Mojang has loads of things planned for 1.9, and this is just the first snapshot. Gotta keep some surprises!

IMPORTANT NOTES:

PLEASE NOTE: If it immediately crashes on launch, restart the launcher. It should fix the problem!

IF YOU OPEN A WORLD IN THE SNAPSHOT, IT WILL VERY LIKELY NOT OPEN IN 1.8 ANYMORE. BACK THOSE MAPS UP FIRST!

A note for resource pack authors: Mojang has changed the format of resource packs slightly, and have support for versioning packs now. You can still use incompatible packs, it just needs extra confirmation from the user.

A note for everybody else: Back up your world before updating.Things will break, especially in such an early snapshot. Backup your world. Back it up. Do it now. Please report any and all bugs you find in Minecraft to bugs.mojang.com. If nobody reports a bug, nobody can fix it!

To get snapshots, open your launcher and press the “New Profile” button. Call it “snapshots” and check the box saying “Enable experimental development snapshots” and save. To switch to the normal version, you can select it in the dropdown at the bottom left corner of the launcher. Back up your world first or run the game on in a different folder (See the “new profile” dialog).

Snapshots can corrupt your world, please backup and/or run them in a different folder from your main worlds.

Windows 10 – Microsoft’s shiny new operating system – launches tomorrow. As announced at MINECON 2015 a few weeks ago it features a brand-new Edition of Minecraft. Mojang calls it Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta.

If you’re one of the 20 million some-odd players who already own Minecraft for PC/Mac, you get the new version for free. To download your copy, first log into your Mojang account, click the “Redeem” button on your account page, sign into your Microsoft account, and follow the instructions that follow. That’s it! You’ll be playing Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta in a jiffy. Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta will be available to download in the Windows 10 Store. Have fun with Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta!

Don't forget also: the first 1.9 snapshot is scheduled for tomorrow as well! It will be a HUGE day for updates all around!

Mostly a couple quick-fixes, 1.8.8 pre-release is now available! While relatively minor fixes, it is expected the new version will go live tomorrow (Tuesday), barring some crazy, unforeseen event occurring. When it goes live, players should update as soon as possible; the fixes are small, but potentially quality-of-life improving. Better to have stable servers than crashing ones!

Are you ready for some Greek mythology in your Minecraft world? Why not! This awesome pack gives you 39 skins, a custom texture set, and a new UI, all inspired by Greek mythology of old. The pack gives you the chance to play as actual gods, including the infamously awesome, Zeus, and master of all things water, Poseidon. You can also find minotaurs, cyclopes, and quite a bit more! If that wasn't enough, composer Gareth Coker brings you a themed music set to finish off the mix, and the whole pack is topped off with a crazy custom map to explore!

The pack currently goes for $3.99/£3.29 on XBox and PSN's respective shops.

A dragon head item was mentioned at Minecon, but lacking any supporting images or evidence, could not be confirmed. Recently, this photo from the panel mentioning it was revealed on reddit, clearly showing the dragon head as an item, similar to creeper heads, zombie heads, and so on. Assuming it works like other dropped monster heads, it would imply a very rare drop rate on a monster that was (until 1.9) impossible to fight more than once without console commands. There is no current information on the dragon head's drop rate, or what it could be used for, though if it follows similar head items, will probably be decorative. Stick a dragon head on your fence! Warn away the neighbors!

A 1.9 snapshot could likely be coming next week, which may offer the first look at the new head item, as well as the figurative ton of new features coming in the update. While we wait, a question comes to mind: what would you do with your very own dragon head in Minecraft?

Meet the confirmed director for the upcoming Minecraft movie, Rob McElhenney! What directions and ideas does he have for the film? That remains to be seen, but we should hear more in the coming days.

Prior to Rob, the former director for the as-yet-unmade Minecraft film was Shawn Levy, who ended up leaving the project due to creative differences. Levy intended to make the film similar to the 80's movie The Goonies - a film about a group of kids hunting down old pirate treasure while being hounded by bandits - but Mojang wasn't happy with the idea, and said no. Between Levy's departure and now, not much had been said about the movie, until the recent announcement about McElhenney stepping in to direct.

Among his numerous accomplishments, Rob McElhenney is best known for acting, directing, writing, and being an executive producer of the FX comedy series, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

Players have been clamoring for a snapshot of the 1.9 Combat Update, and a date has been revealed for its release: Wednesday, July 29th! Now, it's important to note (as per the tweet) that the date is a goal, not a guaranteed release date. It is still promising to have an idea when to expect a possible snapshot! Incidentally, the snapshot's possible date coincides nicely with the Windows 10 release date, making it one of the most update-rich days of the month. Yay!

We have done a crazy amount of coverage on what to expect for the 1.9 update, so finally getting a chance to see some of it in action is very promising! 1.9 looks to be one of the most content-rich updates in Minecraft history, and I'm immensely excited to see it go live! We should have a duel when it does, you and me. Just the two of us! If we do, just promise you won't bring anyone else? Also, don't record it, in case I lose. I might literally cry. In real life.

Now that we have an idea of when the next snapshot might be coming, what are your plans for the 29th?